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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ON THE COVERRay C. Anderson, Founder and Chairman of Interface Inc. Photograph from the Ray C. Anderson Papers,MS 2603

Spring/ Summer 2016 | Volume 10, Numbers 1 & 2

Feature Story Page 3 – Sharing the Story of Georgia’s Greenest Manufacturer

PERSPECTIVES

01 | Strength for the Ages by W. Todd Groce, Ph.D.

FEATURE

03 | Sustaining the Legacy of Ray C. Anderson by John A. Lanier

GEORGIA GEMS

07 | Help Conserve a Georgia Gem by Lynette Stoudt

INSIDE GHS

09 | Georgia Southern Students Research Georgia-Ireland Connection by Howard Keeley, Ph.D.

PROFILES

13 | Don Waters by Stan Deaton, Ph.D.

MILESTONES

16 | GHS News

STATE OF HISTORY

17 | Taking Your Place in the Next Century Initiative by Caroline Stevens

In recent years, we have all heard and read stories about tremendous financial difficulties that have led venerable non-profit institutions to the brink of collapse. When this happens, we often ask, why didn’t anyone see this coming

and do something to prevent it? All too often, the underlying cause is an inadequate endowment.

A good rule of thumb is that the distribution from an institution’s endowment should cover at least half of its annual operating expense. While this is no guarantee of success, it certainly makes it less likely that there will be a collapse due to financial problems. It’s a lesson we all need to learn—and one not lost on the Georgia Historical Society.

As we prepare to enter our third century as Georgia’s premier, independent statewide historical institution, GHS stands at a crossroads. Nearly twenty years ago, we took a voluntary state privatization, giving us control once again over our own destiny and producing the most explosive growth in the history of the institution. Now we need to secure that success and lay the foundation for even greater achievements.

To reach this goal, the Board of Curators has approved the launch of the Next Century Initiative, an ambitious campaign designed to propel the institution forward, create new opportunities for growth, and ensure its future stability and independence.

The Next Century Initiative has two components, capital and endowment. Of the $13 million goal, $1 million will be allocated for renovating the Research Center in Savannah. These funds will allow us to improve archival storage and enhance research services by implementing several deferred maintenance projects and repurposing space formerly utilized as administrative offices now transferred to the Jepson House Education Center.

The cornerstone of the Initiative, however, is a strong endowment. Currently, the GHS endowment stands at $8 million, a good

PERSPECTIVES

Strength for the Agesby W. Todd Groce, Ph.D.

Photo by Caroline Joe, from the Ray C. Anderson Papers, MS 2603.

W. Todd Groce, Ph.D.President & CEO of theGeorgia Historical Society

beginning but hardly what we need to be truly independent and ensure the long-term financial security that will allow us to see our dreams become a reality.

The Initiative will add an additional $12 million, bringing the endowment total to $20 million. These funds will properly support current programs and incubate new ones. We can teach more students, train more teachers, create new knowledge through research, and improve the lives of all Georgians by offering them a deeper understanding of our past.

Many of the amazing programs and services we offer today were created with grants and operate on annual fundraising campaigns. Imagine what could be done—how many more students could be reached, how many more documents could be preserved and made accessible for research, how many more stories could be told through historical markers—with a secure stream of revenue that only an endowment can provide.

To achieve this goal we need your support. Whether it’s a bequest in your will or a donation during your lifetime, by joining us in this noble endeavor you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your gift will teach history and make it accessible to everyone.

Understanding our nation’s history has never been more important than now. The challenges of thefuture require problem-solving skills, criticalthinking, and an appreciation for ourdemocratic ideals, all of which can beacquired by studying history. The risinggeneration needs to be prepared for theworld they will inherit. Through theNext Century Initiative, together we willensure they are ready.

As the Georgia Historical Society kicks off its

Next Century Initiative, seeking to ensure the

legacy of all Georgians who have shaped our

history, it is most appropriate to highlight the

Ray C. Anderson Collection, MS 2603. Few

other collections contain so compelling a story as this one—a

Georgia industrialist becoming an environmental champion.

It is the story of a company embracing a higher purpose and

becoming a force for good in the world. It is a story worthy of

being told and preserved.

The Young RayRay Christie Anderson was born in 1934 in West Point, Georgia,

the third son of an assistant postmaster and a former

schoolteacher. He was a strong student, driven to be the best

in his class, and he also excelled as an athlete, earning letters in

basketball, baseball, and football. Whatever Ray did, he did well.

As the youngest child growing up in a family of modest means,

Ray’s only hope of attending college was a football scholarship.

As an avid Georgia Tech fan, he set his sights on becoming a

Yellow Jacket. In 1952, his dream came true when Coach Bobby

Dodd offered him a scholarship to play football at Georgia Tech.

Unfortunately, Ray’s athletic career was short lived. An injury his

freshman year left him unable to play, but Coach Dodd allowed

him to keep his scholarship if he maintained his grades. Ray

devoted himself to his studies, graduating with honors with an

Industrial Engineering degree in 1956. He was a lifelong supporter

of Georgia Tech from that day forward, always remembering the

gift of education that Coach Dodd gave him. He was also the

most die-hard Yellow Jacket sports fan you would ever meet.

After graduation, Ray returned to his roots in Troup County,

Georgia, launching a successful career in textiles. He learned the

carpet trade through fourteen-plus years at various positions

with Deering-Milliken and Callaway Mills. While comfortable and

successful in his young career, Ray was not content. He was a

visionary without a vision.

Founding of Interface andRay’s EpiphanyIn the early 1970s, Ray was passed over for a promotion that

he thought he deserved. Feeling slighted, he tapped into an

entrepreneurial spirit burning inside of him. All he needed was

the kindling of a good idea.

On a business trip to Europe, Ray encountered the concept of

free-lay carpet tiles—carpet that was cut into squares and laid

much like floor tile. The technology captured his imagination,

and he immediately saw the enhanced flexibility it offered

compared to conventional broadloom carpet. Given that it was

the beginning of the evolution of the “modern” office with all

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reports, speeches, and writings. The collection also contains

Ray’s book collection, which focuses on the topics of

environment, sustainability, and business. GHS staff is currently

in the process of arranging and describing the collection and it

should be open for research by the fall of 2016. A portion of the

collection will be digitized and made available in the GHS Digital

Image Catalog.

We invite you to visit the Georgia Historical Society Research

Center to explore, investigate, and study the treasures that Ray

left behind. Hopefully, Ray’s legacy will inspire you and ignite

your own passion for a more sustainable future for all.

Ray Anderson’s story will not be complete until all generations

are assured of a healthy, sustainable future. We hope you will

join us in creating that story.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

From the editor:

The Ray C. Anderson collection was accompanied by a gift to the

Next Century Initiative from the Ray C. Anderson Foundation to

process and endow the collection — ensuring its care and accessibility

for generations to come. If you would like to learn more about

endowing a collection and the many other opportunities to give

through the Next Century Initiative, see page 17.

Image Credits: GHS archivists Katharine Rapkin and Lindsay Sheldon

processing a scrapbook in the Ray Anderson Papers, MS 2603. Photo

by Elyse Butler. Collection images on pages 3 and 4 are from the

Ray C. Anderson Papers, MS 2603.

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of its attendant wires for computers and communication, he

believed it would sell in the United States. So in 1973, he put his

family’s savings on the line and founded Carpets International-

Georgia, Inc., the precursor to Interface, Inc.

Before long, the business took off. Interface became a publicly

traded company in 1983, which fueled an aggressive global

expansion. By 1994, Interface had succeeded beyond anyone’s

wildest dreams. Now the world’s largest manufacturer of carpet

tile, Interface pushed global sales close to $1 billion per year. Now

60 years old, Ray thought about retiring. His story, however, was

about to take him down a very different path.

That same year, Ray was challenged with a question that would

define the rest of his life: “What is your company doing for the

environment?” Seeking a good answer to that question, he read

a book by Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce. The book

charged business and industry as the sector most responsible

for the greatest environmental degradation in the world. It also

challenged business and industry as the only sector capable of

leading society out of its environmental crisis.

Reading this book was an emotional experience for Ray. He felt

convicted as a plunderer of the earth, and he would go on to

describe it as his “spear in the chest” epiphany. He now knew

that Interface had to change and show the entire industrial

world that environmental sustainability was a moral imperative.

He soon learned that it was also good for business.

Climbing Mount SustainabilityRay was the first to admit that Interface’s associates and

the company’s investors thought he had gone “around the

bend.” His direct message and forceful personality made it

clear, however, that he was not turning back. One by one, the

company’s stakeholders agreed to join in this new quest.

The vision was simple. To become truly sustainable, Interface

would have to climb Mount Sustainability, a metaphorical

mountain higher than Everest. The peak represented the point

at which the company would do no harm to the environment.

Beyond that point lay the dream of a regenerative enterprise,

one that actually makes the world a healthier, better place as

a result of its operations. To reach the summit, Interface would

have to climb seven distinct fronts: Zero Waste, Benign Emissions,

Renewable Energy, Closing the Loop (Circular Economy),

Resource Efficient Transportation, Engaging Stakeholders, and

Redesigning Commerce.

As the company climbed, they discovered that sustainability was

unlocking hidden value in the enterprise. Efficiency gains and

innovation drove costs down, not up. The quality of the products

increased, and customers willingly paid a premium for carpets

made in a more responsible manner. Employee engagement

and loyalty increased as well, with the entire workforce rallying

around a shared higher purpose. Interface’s profits rose and its

stock price rebounded.

Between 1994 and 2011, Ray spoke

to thousands of audiences around

the world, sharing his sustainability

story and demonstrating the

concept of “doing well by doing

good.” He also published two

books: Mid-Course Correction (1998)

and Confessions of a Radical

Industrialist (2009) with the latter

re-released in paperback as

Business Lessons from a Radical

Industrialist. He was named one of Time magazine’s Heroes of

the Environment in 2007, and he became known as the world’s

greenest CEO.

To this day, Interface continues its ascent of Mount Sustainability.

Unfortunately, it does so without the leadership of its founder

and greatest sustainability champion. In the summer of 2011, Ray

lost his life to cancer.

The Creation of a FoundationRay’s story did not end with his death, however. His legacy lives

on through the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, the private family

foundation to which he bequeathed the majority of his estate.

A legacy is, by definition, a gift, an inheritance, something

handed down from the past—something to be cherished or

revered. It is also a responsibility and an opportunity that can be

passed on to those who follow after. In creating this Foundation,

Ray has given both of these to his two daughters and their

families: the responsibility of being committed and thoughtful

philanthropists and the opportunity to make the world a better

place, just as Ray did in life.

Ray’s family has embraced this gift. Though he left no

instructions on how his Foundation should be managed, his

family knew that his values and vision should be the guiding

light. Ray’s was a legacy defined by seeking harmony with

nature and leaving a healthy planet for “Tomorrow’s Child,” the

representation of all of the generations still to come. Accordingly,

the Ray C. Anderson Foundation is committed to philanthropy

that harmonizes society, business and the environment for the

present and future generations.

Preserving Ray’s Legacy and StoryThis Foundation is not alone in the task of advancing Ray’s

legacy. That responsibility is shared with Interface and its

thousands of employees across the globe. It is also shared with

the countless number of people who heard him speak and were

moved by his message, and with those who even today learn of

his story and are inspired to do their part in making our world a

better place.

It was for this reason—continuing Ray’s story and inspiring

others—that the Foundation and Interface decided to donate his

papers to the Georgia Historical Society in 2015. We are honored

to have them as partners and fellow storytellers, and we take

pride in knowing that Ray’s collection will be made available to

the public and forever preserved.

The collection contains approximately 150 cubic feet of artifacts,

artwork, audiovisual materials, awards, correspondence,

meeting materials, notes, pamphlets, photographic materials,

GHS staff works daily to accession, process, catalog, and make accessible the many rich collections we offer to researchers. The collections are housed in a closed, climate-controlled environment to

ensure lasting preservation and our archivists use various techniques to ensure the long-term care of our collections, including proper handling, rehousing collections in archival-quality enclosures, removing harmful fasteners, reformatting, and encapsulating damaged items to prevent damage.

In addition to daily preservation activities at the Research Center, we also have several special projects that involve hiring professional conservators. Conservation is different from preservation in that conservation work counters existing damage to a collection item and often takes place in the confines of a conservation laboratory. Conservators have specialized training in using chemicals and administering highly technical treatments to stabilize and protect collection items. As with most cultural organizations, GHS does not house a conservation laboratory, so conservation work is largely outsourced.

Many of our special projects have been successfully funded through grants over the years, but for some projects, particularly conservation work, few outside funding sources exist. One example of an important special project is the conservation of the Hon. John Elliott Ward portrait. A GHS founder, Ward was born in Sunbury, Liberty County, Georgia, in 1814. His father, William Ward, was a member of the Puritan colony established in Midway and

his mother, Annie McIntosh Ward, was the daughter of Major Lachlan McIntosh. Ward was admitted to the bar in 1835 and practiced law in Savannah.

Ward served in several key governmental positions, including Solicitor-General of the Eastern District, United States District Attorney, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, President of the Georgia Senate, acting Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, Chairman of the Democratic National Convention, Mayor of Savannah, and was the first commander of the Irish Jasper Greens in 1842. He was also appointed as the U.S. Minister to China in 1859 and held the position until 1861 when he resigned after Georgia’s secession from the United States. Ward was a Democrat but was strongly opposed to secession. During the Civil War, he served as an agent for the Confederate Navy acquiring ironclad ships to break up the U.S. blockade. He moved to New York in 1866, where he continued to practice law until relocating back to Liberty County, where he died in 1902.

Last summer, GHS invited a team of professional conservators to survey portraits donated to the Society. In many cases, the circumstances under which the portraits were cared for and stored before coming to the Research Center are unknown. Using special lights and survey tools they documented several problem areas on the Ward Portrait related to the canvas, stretcher, paint layer, and other components of the artwork that require professional attention.

The conservation estimate for this portrait is several thousand dollars, but any contribution toward this project will help. As we embark on the Next Century Initiative campaign with the goals of increasing collection capacity and enhancing storage for portraits and other large format items, we hope you will consider helping us fund the conservation of this important piece of Georgia history and help save it for future generations.

For further information about this and other special project funding opportunities ranging from digitization, creating online access tools, and conservation projects please contact the Research Center at912-651-2128.

Lynette Stoudt is Research Center Director at the Georgia Historical Society. She can be reached at lstoudt@georgiahistory.com.

Image Credits: Oil on Canvas Portrait of John Elliott Ward by Jared Bradley Flagg, 1888. From the Georgia Historical Society Objects Collection, A-1361-332.

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Georgia Southern Students Research Georgia-Ireland ConnectionBy Howard Keeley, Ph.D.

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INSIDE GHS

A Savannah obituary described the

1910 funeral of Richard J. Nunn as

“one of the most largely attended

ever held in this city.” A renowned

physician who insisted before a

national audience that public-

health policy should know “no caste, no creed...no

color,” Nunn served prominently in the Georgia Historical

Society—as a Curator and, later, as Second and then

First Vice-President. Nunn was an immigrant, having

been born in 1831 in Wexford, the most southeastern of

Ireland’s historic thirty-two counties. That fact put him

in good company, for by 1860 Wexford constituted by

far the principal county of origin of Savannah’s Irish-

born residents, who in their turn accounted for almost a

quarter of the city’s white population.  

Wexford family names—such as Corish, Kehoe, Murphy,

Rossiter, and Stafford—still abound in Savannah,

so one naturally wonders why Wexford became

disproportionately represented in the city. To investigate

the phenomenon, Georgia Southern University’s Center

for Irish Research and Teaching (CIRT) and its Honors

Program established a research project—the Wexford-

Savannah Axis—on St. Patrick’s Day 2014. From the

beginning, the Georgia Historical Society has been a formal

research partner in the work, which is helping Savannah—

and Georgia—better understand its Irish heritage.  

The Georgia Historical Society is transforming our

students’ educational experience by opening its Research

Center to the undergraduate and graduate members of

the Wexford-Savannah Axis research team. The Society’s

archives are critical to our painstaking reconstruction of

the remarkable Wexford-to-Savannah migration pathway

that emerged from the late 1840s. Aided by a $35,000

diaspora-heritage grant from the Irish Government,

the researchers have established that three shipping

companies from two Wexford ports initiated direct goods-

and-passenger lines to Savannah, operating in the fall and

winter. They advertised Savannah as offering “immediate

employment and good wages” and as possessing “a

healthy and agreeable climate”! 

Among other goals, the project seeks to understand

how the newcomers—as they built lives in such

Savannah neighborhoods as Old Fort, Yamacraw, and

Frogtown—were likely influenced by their formative

Wexford experiences: tenant-rights politics, agricultural

progressiveness, an ethos of non-sectarianism, a legacy

of bloody revolution. While the Great Hunger, the potato

famine of the 1840s, would have counted as a “push”

factor, Wexford was much less affected by that tragedy

than other Irish counties.

The Georgia Historical Society’s collection of

naturalization papers, city directories, tax documents,

minute books, and a host of other documents are

revealing a story not merely of immigration but also

of integration into the multiethnic city that was mid-

nineteenth-century Savannah. Although they faced

challenges—not least the large-scale yellow fever

outbreak of 1854—the Wexford families quickly gained a

significant measure of acceptance, a fact that complicates

the received Irish-American narrative of “No Irish Need

Apply.”

Given that the Irish constituted one of the largest

population influxes in Georgia’s antebellum history, the

research findings have resonance across the Peach State

and beyond. In addition, they provide data relevant to

those formulating policies about present-day human

migration. Memorable is a comment in the December

6, 1850, edition of the Savannah Morning News about

“rarely...see[ing] a more respectable body of new comers

from any portion of Europe” than “steerage passengers”

from Wexford. The piece concludes, “May they realize

their brightest anticipations of prosperity and happiness

in their new home.” 

According to Dr. Steven T. Engel, Director of the Georgia

Southern University Honors Program, the Wexford-

Savannah Axis student-researchers have come to regard

the Georgia Historical Society as an academic home.

“Mentored by the Research Center’s Director Lynette

Stoudt and her team,” he says, “our students gain

expertise in sourcing and analyzing relevant archival

materials.”

The young people subsequently travel to Ireland, where

they apply their new skills in such venues as the National

Archives of Ireland. It was there, in a box of uncataloged

papers not touched for more than a century, that

undergraduate James Devlin discovered key documents,

namely, correspondence from the leading Savannah

cotton factor, Andrew Low II, to the head of one of the

Wexford shipping companies. Quite possibly, those letters

precipitated the unique Wexford-Savannah link. 

As the Georgia Southern University researchers continue

to work at and with the Georgia Historical Society,

exciting outcomes are emerging from the Wexford-

Savannah Axis research project. In mid-March 2016,

responding to the historic transatlantic relationship now

being revealed, a high-level delegation from Wexford

visited Savannah to explore opportunities of mutual

benefit, from business and trade to cultural exchanges

and tourism. On behalf of the people of Wexford, the

delegation’s members received the key of the city from

the mayor. In addition, they visited the Research Center to

express their county’s gratitude to the Georgia Historical

Society for its indispensable role in the project.    

In prospect is the launch of a mobile-friendly web

experience that will allow various audiences—

schoolchildren, heritage tourists, and academic

researchers—to explore aspects of the Wexford-Savannah

Axis in a dynamic, compelling way.

________________________________________________

Dr. Howard Keeley is Director of the Center for Irish

Research & Teaching at Georgia Southern University. He

can be reached at hkeeley@georgiasouthern.edu.

Editor’s Note: Want to support innovative partnerships

like the Wexford-Savannah Axis? Help GHS secure its

commitment to serving the people of Georgia in the 21st-

century and beyond by participating in the Next Century

Initiative. Find out more on page 17.

IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE):

Georgia Southern University students at the GHS Research

Center, May 2014.

Georgia Southern University Honors student at the

Research Center, May 2015.

Tybee Railway Company Script Number One, 1887

William-Kehoe Stock Certificate, MS 1148.

December 10, 1850 article in the Savannah Morning News.

Saturday, November 2, 1850 advertisement in Wexford

newspaper. Courtesy of the Wexford-County Archives.

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DonWatersBy Stan Deaton, Ph.D.

Don Waters, a member of the GHS Board of Curators, grew up on Anderson Street in Savannah when it was a thriving community in its own right. “Waters

Avenue, nearby, was a baby Broughton Street,” he recalls, “with schools, homes, businesses, churches, parks, all right there.”

It’s now all gone, but Don is leading the charge to revive his old neighborhood, taking a page from Tom Cousins’ more famous Eastlake community

project in Atlanta: “All I’m doing is stealing other people’s good ideas,” he says with a laugh. What he modestly leaves out, however, is that while anyone can steal an idea, Waters is acting upon it and succeeding.

Don Waters’s day job is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brasseler USA, Inc., an international manufacturer of dental and medical surgical instrumentation. While running a global business would keep most people busy, Don Waters isn’t most people. He is a leading force, with fellow GHS Board member Reed Dulany, behind the Savannah Classical Academy, a charter school now housed in the former St. Pius X building in Don’s old neighborhood, at 705 E. Anderson Street.

“The school’s mission resonated with me,” he says, “with its focus on reading, writing, speaking, and creating successful students by emphasizing core virtues like compassion, perseverance, responsibility, and diligence. It’s a project I very much support and want to be part of.”

“We wanted to create a school that delivers excellence to every student, regardless of economic background,” Waters says. To do that, “we get these kids at a young age and hold them to high standards, and by doing so they will excel like any other child.” The bonus for Don Waters: he’s helping to rebuild his old neighborhood.

Don also serves on the State Board of Regents and is passionate about education and the role that it plays in changing lives. It’s also why he’s involved now with the Georgia Historical Society. “I believe all leaders must be renaissance leaders with broad interests that inform and positively impact the culture of their organizations and their communities,” he says. “GHS is the depository of our history, in general, and our culture, in particular.”

His involvement with GHS can be traced to his deep-seated belief in the power of education and history to change lives: “I believe it’s important to who we are as a society to understand not just history, but also why and how Georgia is different in a good way from other states and other cultures. The Georgia Historical Society’s motto, Non Sibi Sed Aliis—Not for Self but for Others—is a core precept of what’s in the bones of most Georgians and what sets us apart. This is why education is so important to me. Improved education leads to economic prosperity. No welfare program will ever outpace a good job or a career.”

Don has been impressed and inspired by the GHS’s Trustees Gala and the ways in which it has brought together—and honored—the state’s business and political leaders. “The year that Tom Cousins and Andrew Young were honored as Georgia Trustees, I was inspired listening to them talk about their work in Atlanta, particularly Tom Cousins’s Eastlake project,” he said. “I thought it could be a great model for what we’re trying to do here, bringing together economic and community leaders in Savannah to bridge the racial and economic divide and create a new vision for our city. When civic and business leaders work together we can do and achieve incredible things.”

Don’s mission in his business relationships, his philanthropy, and board service is focused on one thing: bringing people together to create a more educated Georgia. As he says, “we’re not competing with Alabama and Mississippi, we’re competing on a national and global stage with New York, Illinois, California, and Texas. That’s our competition. We need to ensure economic and educational prosperity for all Georgians going forward.”

Don and his wife Cindy have two children and four grandchildren, so this is a personal mission for him as well.

Waters is a product of Georgia schools himself, beginning with Romana Riley Grammar School on Anderson Street, then Savannah High School (Class of ‘71), Armstrong College, and finally the University of Georgia Law School.

Don first joined the board of Brasseler USA in 1990 and three years later became Chairman and CEO. He became President in 1998, assuming responsibility of day-to-day operations.

Before taking over at Brasseler USA, Don practiced as a Certified Public Accountant, as a partner with Price Waterhouse & Co., and as an attorney with Hunter Maclean, where he worked with the legendary Malcolm “Mac” Maclean, the bridge-building mayor of Savannah during the city’s turbulent Civil Rights years.

PROFILES

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Like many of us, his education began at home, with hard-working and loving parents. “My father, a combat veteran who fought in Europe soon after D-Day, was the greatest influence of my life,” Don says. His father later was injured on the job, and his mother began working at the Savannah Public Library. She came home every night with an armload of history and biography for her son to read. It sparked a lifelong and intense love of history.

His parents and his early love of history both shaped his philosophy of management later on: “Look for great role models, like Malcolm Maclean, and try to be a great role model. My parents taught me the values of discipline and hard work and gave us a loving and supportive home, though they were challenged by great health and economic issues. Mac Maclean was one of my great role models, demonstrating the power of doing great things by bringing civic and business leaders together. Malcolm showed me that intellectual curiosity and intelligence applied in a practical way are an unbeatable combination. He trained me to be results-oriented and to demand excellence.”

Don Waters is generous with his time and his resources. In addition to his service on the GHS Board of Curators and the Board of Regents, and his commitment to the Savannah Classical Academy, Don serves on numerous other boards, including as chair of the Chatham County Hospital Authority, which owns the operations of Memorial University Medical Center.

His commitment to education, philanthropy, business, and building community provides the rubric for Don’s servant-based leadership: “As a lawyer, I believed that if you have to litigate, you’ve failed. I like to break down barriers and bring people together; we need to overcome the silo effect too often seen at so many levels of government. I’m working to build ethical servant-based leadership that embraces the business community, to break down factionalism, with the goal of creating a better life for Georgians through improved education and generating jobs.”

Don’s commitment to the Georgia Historical Society reflects not only his belief in GHS’s educational mission, but is part of his philosophy of success. “Always try to make other people successful,” he says. “If you’ll do that, in every circumstance, with everybody you deal with, if you try to make them successful, then you’ll succeed.”

A lot of people are succeeding because ofDon Waters.

___________________________________________

Stan Deaton, Ph.D. is The Dr. Elaine B. Andrews Distinguished Historian at the Georgia Historical Society. Visit Stan’s blog, deatonpath.georgiahistory.com.

Editor’s Note: Don is demonstrating his belief in history by participating in the GHS Next Century Initiative. His generous gift will support current operations as well as the GHS endowment, thereby advancing research and education and strengthening GHS to fulfill its mission for generations to come. See page 17 to find out how you can follow Don’s example and take your place in the Next Century Initiative.

2016 Georgia Trustees Muhtar Kent and James H. Blanchard Inducted In commemoration of the 283rd Anniversary of the founding of Georgia, Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia Historical Society inducted Muhtar Kent, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Coca-Cola, and James H. “Jimmy” Blanchard, retired Chairman and CEO of Synovus, as the newest Georgia Trustees. The induction took place Saturday, February 13 at the annual Trustees Gala in Savannah.

GHS Surpasses $1 Million in Contributions for Annual Georgia History Festival and K-12 Educational ProgrammingThe 2016 Georgia History Festival (GHF) has surpassed all previous milestones by raising more than $1 million for educational programs in Georgia.

“We are grateful to our 2016 GHF co-chairs Alice Jepson and Bill Jones III, and the entire committee who worked so tirelessly to achieve this milestone,” said Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of GHS. “It is because of their hard work and our corporate sponsors who support the Georgia History Festival each year that we will continue to bring exceptional Georgia history-based educational programs to future generations.”

GHS Erects New Historical Markers Across the StateIt has been a very busy season for the Georgia Historical Marker Program, with thirteen markers going into the ground since last April. GHS has administered Georgia’s statewide marker program since 1998, erecting nearly 250 historical markers across Georgia on a wide variety of subjects. Search for Georgia historical markers and create your marker-based driving trail by visiting the GHS website: georgiahistory.com.

Newly Erected Georgia Historical Markers:• Admiral John Henry Towers, Rome

• Albany Home of Governor George D. Busbee, Albany

• Birthplace of Coca-Cola, Atlanta

• Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, Talbotton

• Georgia Power, Atlanta

• Gov. John M. Slaton (1866-1955), Atlanta

• Primus King and the Civil Rights Movement, Columbus

• South-View Cemetery, Atlanta

• Sumter County in the Civil Rights Movement, Americus

• The Introduction of the Soybean to North America, Savannah

• The Sisters of Mercy and St. Mary’s Home, Savannah

• United Distributors, Smyrna

• Vienna High and Industrial School—A Georgia Equalization School, Vienna

MILESTONES

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» Georgia Trustees Andrew Young and Tom Cousins, 2012. Photo by Russ Bryant.

» Photo by Russ Bryant

By Caroline Stevens

Throughout this issue, you have learned more about the Next Century Initiative, GHS’s $13 million campaign to secure our commitment to serving the people of Georgia in the 21st century and beyond.

You may be wondering to yourself, “How can I be a part of this campaign and do my part to ensure a future for history education and research?”

To that end, we have listed several questions below that we typically hear from our supporters, along with our responses. Hopefully, these will resonate with you as you consider taking your place in this important campaign.

My family has deep roots in Georgia. I have family papers and materials in my attic that should be properly archived. How can I ensure that these materials are cared for and preserved for generations to come?Consider joining our Legacy Society. The Legacy Society invites Georgia families who have shaped our state’s history to donate their personal collections of papers, photographs, portraits, and materials to be cataloged and archived. Participating families then make a gift to the GHS endowment to ensure the family’s records are preserved and made accessible to researchers for generations to come.

I am working with my lawyers and financial advisors on my estate planning. I want to leave a legacy to GHS, but I do not have the liquidity to make a cash gift now. How can I support GHS’s future?Consider supporting the GHS endowment with a planned gift. Supporting the endowment is a visionary and generous act that provides perpetual support in fulfillment of GHS’s educational mission. Planned gifts, such as bequests, charitable trusts, and many others, allow you to a support an institution you believe in while also enjoying advantageous tax benefits.

GHS’s Research Center is a treasure in our state. Besides being a beautiful building, it houses an incredible collection of Georgia’s history. How can I make sure this treasure is protected?Consider making a cash gift to the Research Center renovation campaign. The Research Center is at the cornerstone of our mission to collect, examine, and teach Georgia history. Support for the Research Center renovation will safeguard this national treasure for years to come.

I look forward to reading every Georgia History Quarterly from cover to cover. How can I make sure this important journal continues to publish the finest scholarship onour state?Consider creating an endowment to support the continued publication of the Georgia Historical Quarterly. To directly support a certain facet of GHS’s mission, you have the option of endowing a position, program, or facility at GHS. Such restricted endowment gifts enable these important aspects of the institution to continue in perpetuity.

I believe that history education is crucial to our nation’s future and that a strong endowment is imperative to securing GHS’s future. How can I make an immediate, yet lasting, impact on this institution and its mission?Consider making a cash gift to the endowment now. For a minimum of $25,000, supporters may honor or memorialize an individual, family, or entity by creating a named fund. Gifts of $25,000 and above are recognized with engraved bronze plaques in the Research Center’s Reading Room, and cast bronze plaques recognizing gifts of $100,000 and larger are displayed prominently on the pilasters in the Reading Room mezzanine level.

Finally, please let us know if you have named GHS as a beneficiary in your estate so we may thank you and properly recognize your generosity now!

However you choose to support the Next Century Initiative, know that you will be creating an enduring legacy that will benefit Georgians for generations to come. If you have any questions about supporting the campaign, or would like to learn more about the options discussed above, please contact Todd Groce (ext. 110) or Caroline Stevens (ext. 116) at 912.651.2125.

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Caroline Stevens is Development Officer at the Georgia Historical Society. She can be reached at cstevens@georgiahistory.com.

EditorSophia Sineath

Design and Layout Left Brain Right

PhotographyBrasseler USA, Caroline Joe, Christopher Oquendo Photography, CRIT,

Elyse Butler, Georgia Trend, Russ Bryant, Sophia Sineath

Board of CuratorsChairman

Vincent J. Dooley

President and Chief Executive OfficerW. Todd Groce, Ph.D.

Vice ChairmanWalter M. “Sonny” Deriso, Jr.

TreasurerThomas D. Hills

SecretaryThomas M. Holder

Honorary CuratorSam Nunn

CuratorsJames H. Blanchard, Ex-officio • Clayton Boardman III • Ellen B. Bolch

W. Paul Bowers • Dolly Chisholm • Erroll B. Davis, Jr. Reed Dulany III • Roy H. Fickling • Douglas J. Hertz • Phil Jacobs

John F. McMullan • H. Jerome Russell, Jr.Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears (Retired) • Mark V. Smith • John A. Wallace

Don L. Waters • Philip Wilheit, Sr. • Neely Young

Chairmen EmeritiRobert L. Brown, Jr. • Kay T. Hightower • Robert S. Jepson, Jr. • Bill Jones IIIDonald Kole • Howard J. Morrison, Jr. • Grace Greer Phillips • Lisa L. White

StaffLaura García-Culler, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Sheila Boone, Program AssistantElyse Butler, Membership and Outreach Associate

Theresa Clausen, Senior Executive AssistantBrendan Crellin, Web and Visual Communications Specialist

Christy Crisp, Director of Programs Stan Deaton, Ph.D., The Dr. Elaine B. Andrews Distinguished Historian

Brittany Mayo, Reference Assistant • Patricia Meagher, Director of Communications Katharine Rapkin, Archivist • Beth Robinson, Associate Director of Administration

Lindsay Sheldon, Archivist • Sophia Sineath, Education CoordinatorCaroline Stevens, Development Officer • Lynette Stoudt, Director, Research Center

Rachael Zipperer, Reference Assistant • Karen Zoellner, Staff Accountant

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104 W. Gaston Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401Fax to 912.651.2831

260 14th Street, N.W., Suite A-148, Atlanta, Georgia 30318Fax to 404.671.8570

STATE OF HISTORY

taking your place in the

Next Century Initiative

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSAVANNAH, GAPermit No. 323

104 West Gaston Street | Savannah, GA 31401

georgiahistory.com

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Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history.

Savannah Headquarters104 W. Gaston StreetSavannah, GA 31401

tel: 912.651.2125

Atlanta Office260 14th Street, N.W., Suite A-148

Atlanta, GA 30318tel: 404.382.5410

Research Center501 Whitaker StreetSavannah, GA 31401

tel: 912.651.2128